


If Harry Osborn Never Became the New Goblin (Alternate Ending to Spiderman 2 and Afterwords)

by myinnerfandomside



Category: Spider-Man (Movies - Raimi), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Fix-It, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Harry Osborn forgives peter, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Other, Parksborn, Post Spider-man 3, Post-Canon Fix-It, Spider-Man 2 (Raimi), harry osborn doesn't die, harry osborn forgives spiderman, harry osborn never becomes the goblin, original spider-man films, original spider-man trilogy, post spider-man 2, raimi trilogy alternate ending, spider-man 2 alternate ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myinnerfandomside/pseuds/myinnerfandomside
Summary: Imagine if Harry still finds out about his father's demise but doesn’t seek revenge on Peter nor becomes the goblin.This fic explores how Harry still feels anger towards Peter for being associated with his father's death but eventually comes to terms with it, understanding that it’s not Peter’s fault.(Also imagine if Peter tells Harry right away that Norman tried to kill him, instead of finding out way later from his butler in Spider-Man 3). Then we see how their friendship continues, including Harry having a role in helping Spider-Man’s endeavors.This alternate ending means that events of Spiderman 3 don't take place.~here’s a clip:~Harry stood in front of his father’s grave for a moment in silence, battling the mixture of emotions he was feeling. Then he spoke.“I want to forgive you for killing those innocent people. And for trying to kill my friends. And for trying to kill Peter.”Peter held back tears. He hadn’t felt kindness from Harry ever since he found out that he was Spider-Man. But now there was a shift.————————————————-(I also wrote another fic where Spiderman 3 does take place, *except for Harry dying*, the link is  in my end notes.)
Relationships: Harry Osborn & Peter Parker, Harry Osborn/Peter Parker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

_(Setting: The first chapter begins during the scene in Spiderman 2 when Octo gives Spiderman to Harry. I include some original film dialogue in this chapter for context but most is my own.)_

Harry saw Spiderman’s motionless body laying in his living room. The moment was finally here; he would kill the masked “hero” who killed his father. He held a knife in his hand and walked up to Spiderman.”Let’s see who’s behind the mask, so I could look into your eyes as you die” 

As he pulled off the mask ready to see the identity of his father’s killer, he suddenly stepped back in horror.

“Peter?” Harry gasped in horror and stepped backwards, dropping the knife from his shaking hands. “It can’t be”

He remained in shock and leaned against the couch behind him, sliding to the floor.

Peter looked at him for a moment and then approached him. 

“Harry” he said calm but stern, “He’s got Mj

“No all he wanted was the tritium” Harry replied with bewildered eyes. 

“He’s got tritium? When that happens she’ll die along with half of new york”

“Peter you killed my father” Harry quietly choked out the words in a confused state. His mind couldn’t focus on much else. 

Peter paused for a moment, contemplating whether he should say these words right here and right now, but he did. 

**“I didn’t kill your father. He tried to kill me and killed himself”**

“Why would my father do something like that! You’re LYING to me!” Harry yelled clenching his fists. He wanted to stand up and break Peter’s nose, but his body couldn’t move with all the shock and grief he was feeling. “You were like a son to him, why would he want to kill you? And why would he kill Spiderman?” 

Peter wanted to talk this through, he really did. He wanted to tell Harry that his father, Norman Osbourne, was the Green Goblin. But he also remembered that Norman’s dying wish was for Peter to keep this secret from his son. And most of all, Peter knew that there was no time to hash things out right now because New York was in imminent danger at the moment. 

“There are bigger things happening here than me and you. Harry please, I’ve got to stop him”

Harry thought about MJ. he thought about innocent people being blown up by the man that he gave the tridium to. He tried to push off the guilt glaring in the back of his mind that he was partially responsible for this.

He knew that Peter was right. So he let him go. 

“Take this away from me so I don’t kill you.” Harry spoke with genuine eyes and pointed to the knife that laid on the floor in front of them. He didn’t know whether he wanted to kill Peter and the thought of that made his stomach sick. Then his eyes grew cold. “Get out. And _never_ come back.”

Peter slowly removed the knife. Then he fled out the window to save the day.

\----------

As Spiderman left, Harry continued to sit in shock, trying to process all that just happened. He _couldn’t_ process it. He stared at the floor for what seemed like an hour. Then he heard a noise behind him.

“Son I’m here” That was the voice of his father, Norman. Harry turned around and saw his father standing in the mirror’s reflection. 

“Father, I thought you were dead-”

“I’m alive in you Harry.”

Harry’s mind became blurred with confusion at what he was seeing.

Norman continued, “You swore to make Spiderman pay. Now make him PAY!”

“But Pete’s my best friend,” Harry whispered. 

“And _I’m_ your father.”

Harry looked down thinking about his father’s death, and the anger he felt towards Peter rose up in him again.

“You’ll always be weak until you take control” Norman persuaded. “ Now you know the truth about Peter. AVENGE ME” 

“NO!” Harry screamed. He kicked the mirror in front of him and watched it shatter to the floor. 

As the pieces start to fall, Harry noticed a dark entrance behind the mirror. He had never seen this before. He walked through the opening, into the dark, bricked chamber. He continued to walk until he approached it’s end. 

Then he saw something that he never wished to see. It was the mask of the green goblin.

“NO! “ Harry gasped. He turned the other way in horror. 

“YES!” He heard his father’s voice speaking through the mask. 

Harry’s mind became blurred again, overcome with confusion. 

The voice from the mask continued to speak to him. 

“This is what I became, Harry. Powerful. And this is what _you_ can become. Embrace your father’s legacy, become powerful like me Harry.” 

“No!” Harry grabbed the mask and threw it on the floor. Then he ran out and promised to never return into that layer unless he were to destroy it. 

**********

Harry woke up the next afternoon on the kitchen floor, surrounded by empty bottles of liquor. He still didn’t know how to process everything that happened.

He turned on the television, remembering that Mary Jane was in danger and so was the rest of the city. The news wasn’t reporting anything important, meaning that half the city hadn’t blown up. He felt relief. He still didn’t know about MJ. He called her but only planned to hear her voice as an indication that she was alive.

“Hello?”

He felt relief and then hung up the phone. 

He then looked at the shattered mirror and the dark entrance waiting behind it. He needed to cover it up before his butler arrived, but Harry was too horrified to go near its presence. So he called Bernard and told him take the day off. Bernard seemed worried at Harry’s tone but Harry yelled back into the phone until it was clear that he wouldn’t come in. 

Later that night Harry heard a knock on the door. Before he could drunkenly stumble towards the door, he heard Peter’s voice. 

“Harry are you in there?” 

No answer.

“I wanted to talk about what happened”

Harry slammed his fists against the door. Peter felt it shake and stepped back. 

“I told you to never come back here.” Harry yelled through the door. 

There was a pause of silence.

“I wanted to see if you are ok”

“I’ll never be ok.” Harry murmured, choking on his words. 

“Harry, I need to tell you something about that night...About your father. Why he tried to kill me.”

“I know why." Harry's voice was low.

“Why do you mean?”

Harry opened the door halfway and let Peter look through the opening. Peter saw the shattered mirror and the dark room that lingered behind it. He also saw rows of empty bottles trashed around the room.  
  


“I saw the mask.” Harry said, drinking down a bottle of liquor while holding the door. 

“Harry-”

“I realized that my father wasn’t a good man. But maybe if he _didn’t_ die, maybe I could have talked him out of what he was doing. Maybe he could have still been here.”

Peter didn’t know what to say. Like Harry, he also wished that Norman could have been talked out of what he became, but that didn’t work. Norman became too overpowered by the goblin. And there was nothing he could do to prevent his death. The goblin tried to kill him, so when Peter dodged the attack, it ricochet and ended up killing the goblin himself. He wished that Norman never had to die, but that’s just what happened and he had no control over it. We could always hold onto what ifs, but life doesn’t allow us to go back in time and change those things. 

Peter placed his hand over his head, thinking of what to say, if there really was anything to say.   
“What can I do?”

”Bring my father back from the grave.” Harry jabbed. That made Peter lower his head. 

Harry looked at his old friend for a moment and tried to ignore the empathy he felt for him.

Here’s the thing: Harry _did_ believe Peter. He _did_ believe that his father had tried to kill Spiderman and that it was no longer the other way around. He _knew_ that Spider-Man was good and that his father, the goblin, became evil. But Harry was _still_ uncontrollably angry at Peter for being associated with his father’s death in the first place. Maybe if Peter wasn’t involved, none of this would have happened.   
Harry just wanted to forget. Forget that his father became a villain. Forget that Peter was Spiderman. Forget that his best friend was associated with the death of his once beloved father. 

**“Being around you reminds me of it all. And I just can’t.”** Harry couldn’t look into his friend’s eye as he spoke.   
  


Peter felt a deep pain. He didn’t know if anything he could do could change the way his troubled friend felt.

Harry then took another wisk of the bottle.

“Harry, how many bottles have you drank today? And last night?” 

‘Not enough”

That made Peter push with his strength on the door. "I'm coming in."

The door swung open and Harry jolted back. 

Harry glared at him, but didn’t have the energy to be angry anymore. His mind was too exhausted and overwhelmed. And he was still drunk. Peter just stood there, waiting to see what Harry would do. 

A rush of nausea made Harry lose his balance. He leaned against a wall for support and started to slide down until he felt a pair of arms walk him over to the couch. 

Harry hunched against the couch and made eye contact Peter this time.

“I just can’t see you right now. I don't know if I ever can.” 

Peter gazed at him with deep concern, but he understood. 

“Don’t have any more drinks.”

And then he walked over to the counter and emptied the remaining the bottles on the counter into the sink, leaving only one. 

Harry let him do it. 

Then Peter was gone.

Harry looked at a picture frame sitting in the corner of the room. It was a picture frame of him, Mj, and Peter standing on the New York bridge from a few years ago. Back when he was happy. He held it in his hands for a moment and then tossed it to the ground.

*********

Harry spent the next few days clearing out the dark chamber that haunted him every day and night. He burned the goblin’s mask and any other evidence of his father’s demise. He enclosed the entrance with another mirror, hoping that his butler wouldn’t notice. 

The following week was Mary Jane’s wedding to John Jameson. Harry attended, figuring that Peter wouldn’t be there, and he wasn’t. Yet when Harry saw MJ flee her own wedding, he realized that she was going to Peter. There was a lingering sense of jealousy inside of him but also a slight chuckle that expressed happiness for the both of them. Harry wanted to shake off the positive feeling but couldn’t.   
  


Each day, Harry would turn on the television and see Spiderman’s heroic actions blasted on the news. Today it was Spiderman saving a group of kids from drowning. He turned it off.

Harry knew that Parker was good. He knew that Peter was probably the best person he had ever known and that this city needed him.

And deep down he knew that although Peter didn’t kill his father, if he had to, it would have been justified. 

As Harry thought this over, his butler walked in. 

“Good fellow, that Spiderman.” the butler said in the background as the television turned off. 

Harry scrunched his face. 

“If I may sir, I’ve seen things in this house I’ve never spoken of.”

“What are you trying to tell me?” Harry groaned.

“I noticed that you replaced that mirror, thinking that I wouldn’t notice. I can only guess that you found out what lies behind it.”

Harry raised his brow in perplexity and then shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about this-” 

“I know about your father’s chamber, Harry. I had seen him walk into it a few times in the past, not yet knowing what he was doing. That is until I saw him walk out of it. The night your father died, I cleaned his wound. The blade that pierced his body, came from his glider. There's no question that he died by his own hand. Your father was a good man, but he got lost. I dare you to be better. Now that Spiderman there is a good man. If you keep hanging onto that one unfortunate set of circumstances for the rest of your life, it will remain tarnished. And that’s not a way to live.”

And then he handed Harry the cracked photo of his friends that he threw on the floor the other night. “I loved your father as I have loved you Harry. As your friends love you.”

Harry held onto the photo as the butler walked away. 

....


	2. Chapter 2

Some weeks later there was a knock on Peter’s door. It was Harry.

“I need you to do something for me,” Harry said holding onto his car keys. His face was expressionless, but it didn’t seem filled with anger.

Peter followed Harry to his car. He didn’t know where they were going but the look in Harry’s eyes weren’t as cold as they were weeks before. They drove in silence.

Then Peter looked out and saw that they were at a cemetery. He followed as Harry walked towards his father’s grave.

Harry stood in front of his father’s grave for a moment in silence, battling the mixture of emotions he was feeling. Then he spoke.

**“I want to forgive you for killing those innocent people. And for trying to kill my friends. And for trying to kill _Peter_.”**

Peter held back tears. He hadn’t felt any kindness from Harry since the night he found out he was Spider-Man. But now there seemed to be a shift. 

Harry continued. “I know that man wasn’t you, but was the power that overtook you in those last days.” He took a deep breath. “I forgive you Dad. I don’t want to become like you and I won’t. But I miss you.”

Peter looked at his friend sobbing and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Harry leaned into him, continuing to cry, as the two of them walked back to the car.

.......  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**2 YEARS LATER:**

Spiderman was holding onto a cable car that was slipping off the wire. He shot out his web and started to pull it up.

Then someone shot him in the arm.  
The crowd gasped. His grip was lost.  
“NO!” he screamed. He ignored the searing pain in his arm and shot his web out again from both arms, securing it in his grip and slowly lowering it down to the ground.

As the cable car was only a few more feet away from the ground, an another gunshot was fired, this time missing him.  
Luckily, New Yorkers aren’t scared of anything, and a mob of bystanders attacked one of the shooters and pinned him to the ground while taking his gun. Peter could see another man running in the distance but he didn’t have time to catch him and didn’t have the energy to yell out

Then the cable car gently touched the ground to safety. He took a deep breath. The passengers were safe. Everyone cheered.

Spiderman then fell to the floor.

The crowd stopped their cheering and gasped. A few of them rushed over over the wounded hero, hoping to help him.

Peter was knocked out for a few moments before the crowd could reach him. He then tried to sit up and leave the scene but it took a minute before he could even push his body up. As the crowd approached him, he appreciated their concern but didn’t feel safe being surrounded by around a crowd of strangers-one, because someone could pull off his mask while news crews hovered over, and two, because somebody in the crowd had shot him and he wondered if there were others. He tried to make it seem like he was fine and politely shook them off.

“Im ok, I’ll be ok. I’ll heal. I’m just tired.”

But someone in the crowd handed him a t-shirt and wrapped it around his wound. “You don’t want to bleed out. Use this”.

“Thank you.”

  
He then held onto what little adrenaline he had left and forced himself to get up. He weakly swung away as the crowd below him hollered in cheers.

Once he was out of reach of the crowd, the adrenaline left him and he realized that his webs were starting to lose their power. He didn’t know how much farther he could go. Luckily it was getting dark, so it was easier to hide somewhere and rest for a moment. The shot wound wasn’t fatal and he knew he would heal in a few hours, but right now, exhaustion and pain overtook him. He saw an empty rooftop a few yards away. He tried to shoot another web but nothing came out and he fell to the alley below.

The impact made the wound worse. And he couldn’t move. He also realized that he didn’t have his bag of clothes with him. He had left them near the scene and didn’t have the power to get back. Luckily he had his mobile phone tucked into his suit. He knew who to call.

***

Harry had just finished a busy day of work, speaking with foreign government officials about a top secret energy project. He was a manager of a high level corporate technological firm that worked with military intel. His connections from working at Oscorpe a few years back helped open the door to this new path, but it also also enabled him to remove himself from his father’s legacy and create his own path, working in another business in another sector without being surrounded by things that constantly reminded him of his father. Harry's access to Spiderman’s “personal communications intel” as he called it, also helped him move up into the leadership position quickly. It also helped him gain security clearance to intelligence operations that Spiderman could use to improve his safety. One of those devices was a tracking device embedded in his suit. _(writer's note: remember these movies came out in early 2000s before smartphones and other accessible tech)_

As Harry approached the lobby, he got a call from his best friend and smiled.  
“Hey Pete. Are you gonna say you told me so about the-”  
“Hey-” Spiderman spoke in a quiet, struggled voice  
Harry quickly turned serious. “Where are you?”  
He then looked up at the tv screen playing in the lobby and read the title: “Spiderman shot but saves the day. Shooter arrested for domestic terrorism scheme.”  
Harry stepped back in shock. “You got shot”  
“Glad to see you’re up to date with today’s headlines” Peter chuckled before wincing in pain.  
Harry quickly pulled out the tracking device locator and rushed to his car.  
“I have your location, I’m coming to you. I’ll let MJ know.”  
Peter whispered a thanks.  
“Are you hurt?”  
Peter looked down at the soaked t-shirt wrapped around his arm and felt the same amount of pain he did before.

“I can’t shoot any webs. But I’ll heal. I’m just really tired” he spoke in a muffled breath.  
“Ok buddy hang on. I’m on my way”

Harry knew what to do. The two of them had formed a plan a while ago that if Spiderman was ever injured, Harry would come get him and take him home. Because of Harry’s security clearance to track the hero, it made sense. And he was also one of the few people that Peter could trust. Spiderman couldn’t rely on emergency services in the case that someone would curiously unmask him. In the past a few people had seen Spiderman without his mask on and they never revealed his identity. But he just wanted to avoid that kind of situation in the first place if he could.

When the call ended, Peter felt all of his energy leave him. His surroundings became blurred and dark, and he fainted on the cold cement floor under him.

In the distance, a lone man with a camera wrapped around his neck walked along the alleyway, taking pictures of the dark paths. As his camera flashed, he saw a motionless masked figure laying behind the dumpster. He realized it was Spiderman.

“Spiderman, are you ok?”  
There was no answer.  
The stranger rushed over and checked for a pulse. There was one, but the masked hero didn’t seem to show any signs of consciousness. The man called 911 and told them about Spiderman’s whereabouts.

Afterwords, a dark thought came over the man’s mind. He tried to shake it off, knowing it was disrespectful, but the curiousity gripped him. He looked at the camera hanging around his neck. He thought about how intriguing it was that any man walking along the streets of new york could be this man and we would never know. He also thought about the Daily Bugle’s constant ads that offered a high prize for revealing Spiderman’s identity. His family was living paycheck to paycheck and maybe, just maybe, he was meant to be here in this place at this time for that very reason.

The stranger reached out his hand towards the man’s mask. For a moment he paused, contemplating the respect of his decisions. But he became overwhelmed by the curiosity in his mind. He placed one hand on the camera and reached his other hand out towards the man’s mask. Before he could touch it, a voice echoed in the dark behind him.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Harry spoke calmly to the man with the camera.

The stranger whipped around to see a dark figure whose face was hidden in the shadows.

Harry continued. “If you unveil that man’s identity, you take away his safety, and the safety of this city. He may become more worried about protecting his family, and it’ll hinder his ability to focus on protecting the rest of us. Look, you seem like a good guy, but the baddies out there are gonna have more chances of killing him if you reveal who he is.”

The man looked back at the masked hero laying motionless in the dark. He felt deep regret. Then he saw the hero’s eyes open and glance into his. “I’m sorry mr.spiderman” he said and ran away.

Once the man was gone Harry rushed over to his friend laying on the cement.

“Pete!” Harry let out a relieved sigh when he saw that his friend was conscious.  
“Hey pal.” Spiderman said with a soft smile and tired eyes. “Glad you found me.”

“Can you walk?” Harry asked with concerned eyes.  
“I’ll try”

Harry wrapped his arm around the man’s shoulder and they hopped together towards the car.

“More guys are after you now, Pete,” Harry spoke, "I think we need to create a more strategized plan. And add more gadgets to your suit. Maybe something bulletproof. Some guy from an agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. called me last week offering their help. I tried looking them up in but there's no trace of their existence and-"

“This all sounds interesting. But maybe we can talk about this tomorrow?”.  
Harry chuckled. “Yeah tomorrow would be better”

Once Spiderman reached the open door of the car, he allowed himself to fully succumb to the exhaustion and laid down in the back seat, taking off his mask. Harry saw that Peter's wound was still bleeding through the shirt, so he took out a first aid kit and rewrapped a gauze around the area.

"This reminds me of when I had to patch you up after those bullies in high school would whoop you." 

Peter faintly chuckled. "I guess not much has changed, except now I'm getting shot."

Harry didn't want to laugh at that. He started to think about calling back that guy from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Harry then handed Peter an extra pair of clothes from the trunk of the car. Peter weakly pulled them over his suit.

“Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?” Harry asked.  
“I’ll heal. It just feels like it may take a while this time.”

Harry drove the car towards Peter’s home, constantly checking his surroundings to make sure that no one was following them. He also called MJ to let her know that her husband was fine and was coming home. Peter half-slept in the back of the car.

“Pete, we’re here.”  
Parker woke up and saw MJ placing her hand on the car’s window with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

He thought about how beautiful she looked even when she cried.

Then a pair of familiar arms, both his wife and his friend, helped him out of the car.

Peter could tell that some of the pain and extreme exhaustion had worn off. He was still tired but was able to walk without struggling for air.

MJ gave Harry a kiss on the cheek and thanked him.

Peter then turned to Harry.

“Thanks Harry”, he said, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I can always count on ya”  
Harry smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

As Peter and MJ walked into the front door of their home, Harry caught a glimpse of their child sleeping in her crib. It was his goddaughter, and she was the sweetest girl he had ever known.

Harry looked at his family in front of him and smiled as he walked back to his car. He knew he was ok and always would be. He would always miss his father. And he would always have mixed feelings towards him; that of admiration mixed with sadness towards the villain that he became. But Harry knew that he still had a family all around him.

As Harry walked to his car he pondered over a thought.  
 _They’re my best friends. And I’d die for them._ And he would, if it ever got to that point, he really would.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to read a fic I wrote where Harry *does become the new goblin* and the events of Spiderman 3 take place-*except for Harry dying at the end*- read this one here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29006604?view_full_work=true
> 
> Thanks for reading, God bless


End file.
